Back to the Future returns to theaters for the 40th anniversary at the end of the week. Will there be an audience for a re-release? View the Back to the Future box office odds below.
What is Back to the Future?
As Huey Lewis once sang, “Gotta get back in time.”
40 years ago, audiences were introduced to a time-traveling DeLorean and the concept of a flux capacitor in Back to the Future, the groundbreaking sci-fi adventure by Robert Zemeckis.
Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, a teenager living in Hill Valley, California, in 1985. While filming an experiment for Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), Marty travels to 1955 in a modified DeLorean.
Stuck in the past, Marty must find the younger version of Doc to find a way to return to the ’80s. Before he can go, Marty must ensure that his teenage parents (Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover) fall in love. The fate of his existence depends on it.
Released in July of 1985, Back to the Future became a smash hit, grossing $388 million on its way to topping the global box office. Back to the Future is generally considered a perfect movie and one of the best ever made.
It spawned two sequels, 1989’s Back to the Future Part II and 1990’s Back to the Future Part III.
Back to the Future heads to theaters on Oct. 31, 2025. See it in standard and premium formats, including IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, and D-Box. Tickets are now on sale.
Back to the Future Box Office Odds
| Back to the Future: Domestic Box Office | Odds |
|---|---|
| Less than $3.5 million | +223 |
| $3.5 million to $4.2 million | +170 |
| $4.2 million to $5 million | +156 |
| Over $5 million | -108 |
Odds via Polymarket on 10/29/25 at 9 p.m. ET
When Back to the Future opened in 1985, the film made $11.3 million in its opening weekend.
If the Back to the Future re-release opened to over $10 million, that would be a slam dunk for Universal Pictures.
The odds suggest it will open north of $5 million (-108), and that number should be exceeded due to a lack of competition.
Besides Back to the Future, the only major release this weekend is Bugonia, which expands into more theaters.
Re-releases have been popular and profitable this year. The 20th anniversary re-release of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith made an unprecedented $42.2 million at the global box office, including $25.2 million domestically.
Hamilton, the movie version of the Tony Award-winning play, made $10 million at the domestic box office in September.
